Who would you rather have??

[Clackwoods]

Coles or TJ and why?

I personally like Coles ability to get down field, plus his YAC ability. He has a better presence than TJ and is willing to show up at the workouts, plus he is cheaper and younger!

[derekshank]

Well... Coles is not much younger (less than a year) and has an extra year playing in the NFL, and several more years as a starter... so you could argue he's older.

I don't think you can see Housh leaving as anything but a major loss. He was Palmer's favorite target. That said... there are plenty of weapons on this team, and the addition of Coles should do nicely to help us forget about Housh's absence.

[Kazkal]

Coles,TJ didn't want to be there and once he was gone started acting like a douchebag.

[Bearcat1975]

I voted TJ because he was always one of my favorite Bengals, even early on.

Things kind of soured toward the end, as relationships can do from time to time. But the rest of the time he was here he was a good interview, always seemed honest, and was a just all around nice guy. Plus he knows the system and the playbook. That would be another obvious plus.

That being said, I believe TJ wanted out of here for the same reason Chad wants out of here, but TJ is smarter and not a prima donna head case, so he went about it the right way. I don't think TJ would have resigned here for any amount of money unless they did something crazy like made him the highest paid WR. But TJ was enough of a class act to feign interest (albeit vaguely) out of respect for Mike Brown and the Bengals.

So it is better for the Bengals to have a new face in Coles, assuming he can even get close to TJ's production, then it would be to have an angry TJ here. And if they would have tagged TJ, you would see a very angry TJ. Well paid, but angry.

Then people would start in with "what a cancer TJ is..."

[HairOnFire]

In a perfect world I'd prefer Housh, but so much for that.

We move on.

And I'm not buying the argument that Coles will be better than Housh just yet, but it's besides the point anyway. Housh wanted out and Coles wanted in. That trumps everything.

[HoosierCat]

I'd rather have a bubble. Where's the option for that?

[gregstephens]

I'd rather have a bubble. Where's the option for that?

...with the monkey.

[Bearcat1975]

I'd rather have a bubble. Where's the option for that?

Right next to the option for more scouts and a real GM. In never-never land.

[membengal]

Since they won't deal the mouth, I am glad they let his sidekick go.

They were unhealthy for each other and the team.

Gimme Coles.

[Clackwoods]

I'd rather have a bubble. Where's the option for that?

Right next to the option for more scouts and a real GM. In never-never land.

We can only hope that the BPA available at a position of need is sitting their everyyear in the draft when it is our turn to select. We have had a competent owner this offseason and I think this year, coupled with last could propel this team into something special

[HairOnFire]

Since they won't deal the mouth, I am glad they let his sidekick go.

They were unhealthy for each other and the team.

Gimme Coles.

That's everything in a nutshell, isn't it?

Divide and conquer.

[HAPPYJAQ]

T.J. was one of my all-time favorite Bengals but the truth is, the Bengals used him like a TE in our offense. I think Coles is an equally tough player who will offer more in the vertical game. Coles' hidden value is in the fact that he's one the better blocking WRs in the league, especially for his size.

The real question will be who becomes Carson's target on those 3rd and medium plays, in which TJ converted regularly. In the end, I think it was the right move to move on from TJ. The guy didn't want to be here and there's nothing worse than a disgruntled employee, whether he's catching footballs or flipping burgers.

Now, if we could only do something with "the other one".

[redsbengalsbucks]

The Offense was second nature to TJ and Coles will be learning it. I think they will have comparable #'s this season while they both learn new schemes and bond with thier new teams players.

That said I think TJ staying would have been the better option if he was happy and giving 100%, but that probably was not going to be the case.

So I voted for TJ because of his Chemistry with Palmer and the fact that he would not have had to study up on the playbook, but in reality having Coles here is a very good second option.

[cincy9275]

tj hands down. tj is one of the best 3rd down wr's in the whole game. when we needed a first tj was the man carson looked for. plus the chemistry him and palmer have together is not something to be over looked. i do like coles as a replacement adds a different dimension to our offense. IF chad comes to play, we will have 3 wr's that can stretch the field 4 if simpson is ready to play. that will put a lot of pressure on other teams db's.

[kingwilly]

TJ for his consistency.

Coles need to prove he can live in this offense. TJ found his game in this scheme.

I do like Coles quite a bit and think he could be an amazing player in this offense.

As it is, we have a very good, albeit different, player to replace TJ.

Mike Brown must have finally listened to the "themes" of the locals.

[DC_Bengals_Fan]

TJ. The other receivers we have seem too similar skill-wise.

Basically, here's your scenario: 3rd and 8 in the 4th quarter, defense is sitting on any pass beyond the sticks. Your only chance to get the first down is to throw short of the sticks and have the receiver fight and scrap to get the last 3 yards.

How many receivers in the league would you rather have in that situation than TJ? I can't think of a whole lot.

[themaninblack]

You know, know that I really have had a chance to sit down and think about it, I'm actually quite happy with the Coles acquisition. I love TJ as much as anyone but we did offer the man a great deal more than I would have ever imagined. TJ opted to go with a "better team", but I think we actually made off better as far as personnel is concerned because I never ever thought that TJ was so good that he couldnt be replaced at a much lower price. I was surprised at the offer we made to him and it is obvious he was intent on getting out of here. I wish him all the best but at the same time I understand that we might be better off without him for a lot less money with Coles. He may actually end up being a better second option than TJ would have been. Only time will tell but given the situation, I am actually happy with this whole thing.

[Clackwoods]

TJ. The other receivers we have seem too similar skill-wise.

Basically, here's your scenario: 3rd and 8 in the 4th quarter, defense is sitting on any pass beyond the sticks. Your only chance to get the first down is to throw short of the sticks and have the receiver fight and scrap to get the last 3 yards.

How many receivers in the league would you rather have in that situation than TJ? I can't think of a whole lot.

Greg Jennings and Donald Driver come to mind right off. I would also say TO, Wes Welker, Steve Smith with Coles and Hines Ward right below TJ!

[Clackwoods]

To rephrase this entire line, I would much rather have Coles and Roy Williams than TJ!

[futurebengal08]

TJ. The other receivers we have seem too similar skill-wise.

Basically, here's your scenario: 3rd and 8 in the 4th quarter, defense is sitting on any pass beyond the sticks. Your only chance to get the first down is to throw short of the sticks and have the receiver fight and scrap to get the last 3 yards.

How many receivers in the league would you rather have in that situation than TJ? I can't think of a whole lot.

Greg Jennings and Donald Driver come to mind right off. I would also say TO, Wes Welker, Steve Smith with Coles and Hines Ward right below TJ!

Anquan Boldin. But I will miss Housh. I'm relatively young, wasn't around during the 80s, but Housh is probably my favorite Bengal of all time.

That being said, he wanted out. I think Coles was the best player available to replace him. I think his toughness is underrated. He will be able to settle in those zones on 3rd and medium situations the way Housh did. Coles doesn't have as big a body, but he plays pretty big. I wish Housh stayed, but he wanted a change of scenery and I'm happy for him.

[Clackwoods]

TJ. The other receivers we have seem too similar skill-wise.

Basically, here's your scenario: 3rd and 8 in the 4th quarter, defense is sitting on any pass beyond the sticks. Your only chance to get the first down is to throw short of the sticks and have the receiver fight and scrap to get the last 3 yards.

How many receivers in the league would you rather have in that situation than TJ? I can't think of a whole lot.

Greg Jennings and Donald Driver come to mind right off. I would also say TO, Wes Welker, Steve Smith with Coles and Hines Ward right below TJ!

Anquan Boldin. But I will miss Housh. I'm relatively young, wasn't around during the 80s, but Housh is probably my favorite Bengal of all time.

That being said, he wanted out. I think Coles was the best player available to replace him. I think his toughness is underrated. He will be able to settle in those zones on 3rd and medium situations the way Housh did. Coles doesn't have as big a body, but he plays pretty big. I wish Housh stayed, but he wanted a change of scenery and I'm happy for him.

Yea I forgot about Boldin. I watched at least ten of the Jets games last season and I really like what Coles brings. He is very loyal to his QB's and I don't think he will take long to catch on to a new scheme considering they altered their entire playbook in NY last season to fit Brett.

[ArmyBengal]

I will miss what Housh brought on the field, but what I won't miss is everytime he got bumped or anything else, he would jump up and start looking for a ref to throw a flag and start b*tching. I think that has a lot to do with Chad as well and was at least happy to see one of the two go.

I also think people are going to find a reason to love the guy they have on the team because what other choice do you have. So let's go Coles !!!

If TJ actually "wanted" to be here in Cincinnati (which he didn't), was still on the team, and you were to throw the poll question out there about getting rid of him in trade for Coles, I think d*mn near 100% of the posters here would say F*CK NO !!!

But that's not the case...

[Clackwoods]

I will miss what Housh brought on the field, but what I won't miss is everytime he got bumped or anything else, he would jump up and start looking for a ref to throw a flag and start b*tching. I think that has a lot to do with Chad as well and was at least happy to see one of the two go.

I also think people are going to find a reason to love the guy they have on the team because what other choice do you have. So let's go Coles !!!

If TJ actually "wanted" to be here in Cincinnati (which he didn't), was still on the team, and you were to throw the poll question out there about getting rid of him in trade for Coles, I think d*mn near 100% of the posters here would say F*CK NO !!!

But that's not the case...

Maybe not Coles, but Boldin for sure!!!....lol I was hoping we would trade Chad and a third next year for Boldin on draft day. Of course we wouldnt have gotten Luigs so i am happy either way!

[BengalByTheBay]

Not to rephrase the basic question too much, but I look at it as whether you would rather have Coles and Caldwell or TJ and Caldwell. I believe Caldwell is a legitimate replacement for TJ, with the understanding that he's younger and will not be as productive in 2009. Starting this year, however, and particularly after that, I think Caldwell will make for a pretty good 3rd down option. Coles is really more of a matter of pushing 85's spot and trying to force teams to pick their poison more on the wideout position. Henry's never provided that threat consistently and Coles is an old pro that we expect to make difficult catches under pressure. Until Henry has that breakout season, I can see why they are looking to someone more reliable.